On healthy living (1)

Have you ever made a diet? Well, I haven’t and though most of you will now think “lucky girl”, I don’t know if I’m really THAT lucky. You’re asking why? Let me tell you.

I’ve been more or less vegetarian since I was a child. Not because my parents didn’t give me meat, simply because I didn’t like it. Like other kids hate broccoli, I hated meat. When my mom went to the butcher’s and the shop assistant asked if I liked a “Gelbwurst” (German sausage), I’d decline asking instead for a piece of cheese. The fact that I was not eating meat was extremly difficult to understand for my grandparents as they both worked in a butcher’s.

However, my mom never forced me into eating what I didn’t like as long as I ate healthy and balanced. Of course, I was regularly checked by a doctor who said I was perfectly fine. However, my not eating meat always kept me on the lower levels of the BMI. I was very skinny, yes I admit and I am still very skinny. That’s why throughout my life people meeting me always thought I was pretty sporty and fit.

But I wasn’t. I liked sports and went to a gymnastics class during my childhood. Later, I started horseback-riding, but stopped this when I was in High School. Around 16, I practically didn’t do any sports at all. Still, I continued to stay skinny. Therefore I didn’t see any reason why I should get my body moving. At the age of around 20 my back started aching. At first, it was only once in a while, but then the pain grew worse. There would be days when I barely moved (not the best thing to do…) because the pain was so heavy.

That’s when I seriously started yoga. I’ve been practising it once in a while since I was 14, but I never had the discipline to keep it on a regular basis. Additionally, I went to physiotherapy. They diagnosed “non-existend” back muscles… It was a hard way back into the sports community, but now I can say it’s worth it.

Since then I’ve started different sports, that I can practise depending on the season: Swimming and running in summer, Yoga throughout the year and this winter I started snowboarding which I really enjoyed. I’m almost crazy about moving myself regularly. When I don’t get to do anything for more than three days my back still aches and I start feeling really echy, but it’s gotten a lot better…

Oh gosh I wish I felt like this about working out. I have yet to find something I truly enjoy (as in, prefer to sitting on the couch and watching TV). I definitely have to move my butt back to the gym soon, though. I haven’t been since the end of January.